Nikki Haley, the Republican leader and former South Carolina Governor, strongly responded to comments made by Vivek Ramaswamy regarding her daughter’s TikTok activity during a discussion about the potential ban on the Chinese-owned social media platform.
During the third Republican presidential debate, where five prospective candidates discussed Israel, Ukraine, China, and the party’s future, Ms. Haley did not hold back in expressing her opinion of Mr. Ramaswamy. Notably, former front-runner Donald Trump was absent from the event.
Mr. Ramaswamy, who had joined TikTok earlier in the year, referred to Ms. Haley’s previous criticism of his presence on the platform during the second Republican primary debate in California in September.
“In the last debate, she made fun of me for actually joining TikTok while her own daughter was using the app for a long time. So you might want to take care of your family first,” Mr. Ramaswamy commented.
“Leave my family out of your voice,” Ms. Haley interrupted.
Despite audible reactions from the crowd, the Indian-origin Mr. Ramaswamy continued, saying, “The next generation of Americans are using it, and that’s actually the point.”
In response, Ms. Haley muttered into the microphone, “You’re just scum.”
The tension between these two Indian-origin leaders has been brewing since the early Republican debates. During the first debate in Milwaukee, Ms. Haley criticized Mr. Ramaswamy’s limited foreign policy experience, delivering a harsh assessment of his qualifications. This initial clash laid the groundwork for a deepening rift between the two candidates, which escalated further at the subsequent debate in California.
“Every time I hear you, I feel a little bit dumber,” Ms. Haley said in response to Ramaswamy during the second debate.
Meanwhile, former U.S. President Donald Trump, who had consistently dominated major Republican nomination polls, chose to skip the Republican debate for the third time in a row, instead opting to hold a rally nearby.